How drivers feel about CONTROVERSIAL tyre rule being trialled at Italian Grand

As F1 adapts to a more sustainability-conscious world, organisers have implemented several new processes and rules to help the sport become better for the planet.

One such change has been the alternative tyre allocation (ATA) which limits the sets of tyres a driver can use over the weekend to 11 rather than 13.

The ATA only occurs at two races per season according to the sporting regulations, cutting down the number of slick tyres used in the season by 360.

Some competitors have suggested that the tyre allocation makes the weekend ‘exciting’. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc spoke positively about the system used during the Hungarian Grand Prix, saying: “Everybody’s trying different things, but it’s nice because I think we will go into qualifying not really knowing where we are and I’m sure that’s exciting, but the feeling was pretty good, so this is positive.”

But while a sense of mystery is fun and the positive environmental ramifications of reducing tyre counts at races should not be underestimated, the system has been met with hostility by several drivers who think it negatively impacts the weekend.

After the ATA was brought in for the first time at the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier this year, drivers including Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen voiced their concerns about the system.

But what is most at risk of being damaged by the new set-up; and is it outweighed by the system’s benefit to the environment and the advancement of the sport in terms of sustainability?

Fan experience

During a Formula 1 weekend, fans turn out in their droves, come rain or shine, to enjoy drivers excelling on track. As the sport grows ever more popular (and tickets more expensive and tricky to get hold of) that experience must be in the forefront of the minds of race organisers.

Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola has said of the move: “The target is to reduce the number of tyres that they’re going to use without damaging the show.” However, it seems several drivers disagree.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton expressed concerns about the ATA’s potential to damage the fan experience after its first implementation in Budapest, because teams get less running during practice sessions and therefore there is less entertainment for fans to enjoy.

He suggested at the time that teams throw away several sets of wet tyres each weekend, and that ‘maybe they should look at something like that rather than taking time on track away from the fans’.

Two-time world champion Alonso was in agreement, saying he felt ‘sad’ for the audiences in Budapest on the Friday.

He said at the time: “I think it didn’t add anything to the show. I feel sad for the spectators, they paid the ticket for Friday, FP1, FP2 and FP3, and cars [are] in the garage because we don’t have tyres to run.”

Lack of preparation

Of course, the main point of the practice sessions…